Why The F@*k Do Streamers Have So Many PCs?

Look, it’s a fact: streamers are now full-on, real-life, Hollywood-sized celebrities.
Some of them do whatever it takes, bending each and every rule to attract viewers.
While others let their gameplay speak for themselves.
But whether you’ve been around since the early days of Justin.tv back in 2007, or you’re just getting started, you’ve likely heard the term streaming PC thrown around.
From pro players to casual content creators, almost anyone who is serious about trying to blow up on Twitch has at least considered running a dual PC setup.
But what exactly is a streaming PC and how can it help you become the next Shroud? Do you really need two computers to make it big on Twitch or is it only a luxury?
Written by: Niall McCrossan (@niallmccrossan)
Hosted by: Dimitri Pascaluta (@DPascaluta) and Colten Gowan (@TheOnlyZoltan)
Edited by: Colten Gowan (@TheOnlyZoltan)
Produced by: Keith Capstick (@KeithCapstick) & Niall McCrossan (@niallmccrossan)
Thumbnail by: Bennett Grainger (Instagram: @bennettgrainger)
All footage courtesy: pastebin.com/5CBJhHVK
Music used under license from Associated Production Music LLC (”APM”).
Follow us on Twitch: / thescoreesports
Follow us on Twitter: / thescoreesports
Follow us on Facebook: / thescoreesports
Follow us on TikTok: / thescoreesports
Follow us on Instagram: / thescoreesports

[@keithcapstick]

What do you guys think of Cracked as we’re closing in on a full year of episodes ? What esports/tech subjects do you want to see that we haven’t covered yet?

[@theofratus1]

crack episode about having a healthy lifestyle makes you a better gamer + coffee vs energy drink 👏👏👏😂

[@shivanshshuks]

Building a basic ground level gaming rig

[@nkgrimn8509]

60hz vs 140hz vs 240hz any performance improvements or is that just a myth?

[@darkstratus]

forgot to change accounts?

[@8z_ba]

the fall of fnatic csgo

[@wilky952]

Forget streaming, I want a moustache guide from the man who clearly knows what he is talking about.

[@TheMajorStranger]

Here's what you need: STREAM DECK, ANALYZER, FUCKIN MODERATER STANDS, SOUND FILTER, SIX MONITORS, PEDALS, DRUMS, UH I- GAMING GUITAR, CONTROLLER, SIX CONSOLES, TEN COMPUTERS, BUNCH OF FUCKING WIRES, SOUND PADS, SPEAKERS, ANTENA, SATELLITES, DOG, DOG CAM, CAT CAM, CAT TREE, CAT THIS, AND A BUNCH OF DOHDUDAJU RIGHT? THE DOLDDHFJD FUCKING ANALYZE NASAS LANDING SPEEDS DUDE

[@drmedcheems]

u forgot the cupboard filled with every taste of gfuel

[@krishrao4348]

So basically ShivFPS’ setup right?

[@zavieir]

I read it on a xQc way XD

[@siberiasian]

i read it like that song

[@Spawntaneous]

Thanks for inviting me to chat about my setup! ☺️

[@aidxchaoo]

Thanks for your insight as well, helped me understand why people do double PC setups :D

[@gmoney4215]

ehhhhh it's spawn, poggers

[@OlympicGeometryDash]

your setup is fire

[@sanketower]

This was a perfect opportunity for getting a sponsor from: - El Gato, with their capture cards - NVIDIA, with their NVENC capable GPUs - AMD, with their 8+ cores CPUs perfect for multitasking. The one time when selling out could've been perfect, they don't do it .-.

[@warlocke1894]

Ina Poster be like "Wah!"

[@KEYARRRR]

Colten is in the rabbit hole as well

[@mckenzi4608]

Sooner or later the entire score-eSpeorts will be in the rabbit hole Everyone eventually will

[@kyleisreal_tv]

If I made xqc money I would buy everyone of my close friends a PC lmao

[@soldiercantkill]

You wouldn't have broke friends if all you did was stay in and stream

[@artoro8]

You say that from the outside looking in lol, I say I'd do the same thing but who knows once we're actually in that position

[@rXqasmudaRbjcFo7yJ]

Who wouldn't?

[@keonkla]

Yep then the boys will have no excuse to not try a game and play with ya due to cucked hardware, now if they actually like the games you like then that's a different story.

[@jirka4344]

he has no friends to buy pcs for lol

[@spacey3398]

Bro got Ina poster at the background

[@richardnatanael1150]

My man coltan have an Ina's poster fanart on his wall, Saber mousepad, and recording while watching Gura's stream. 😳👌

[@TheFirstRamenKamen]

Cracked with Dimi and The stache is my favorite series on this channel. These two are freaking amazing towards each other. The jokes, the roast but knowledge hhah

[@aidxchaoo]

AN INA POSTER My life is finally complete

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

Same ;)

[@sibasishsinha]

Stream deck, analyzer, moderator stands, sound filters, six monitors, pedals, drums, gaming guitar, controller, SIX CONSOLES, ten computers, bunch of fucking wires, sound pads, speakers, antenna, satellite, DOG, DOG CAM, CAT CAM, CAT TREE, CAT THIS and bunch of dog shit dud. THEY DO NOT NEED TO ANALYSIS NASA's LANDING SPEED dud

[@zaji7]

hahaha you made my day I was waiting for "all of this and have 0 views"

[@ameyabhosale6433]

SIX CANSOUUUUULEES

[@FranciT98]

Gura playing in the background on one of Colton's monitors confirms that he is also a man of culture

[@deelow6546]

yes.

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

More culture than I know what to do with >.

[@justv7536]

Here I am with my i5-2400 and GTX 1050 Can't build a new one until graphics cards go back to costing less than a motorbike

[@RynerLTech]

I don't even have a laptop as good as yours Mine is trash

[@justv7536]

@@RynerLTech Yeah man, I get that, I just wish PC's were a little more available

[@40plusgamer]

I didn’t even know there WAS such a thing as an NDI plugin! 😳 I have an old AMD FX-6300 tower with an RX-580 and it does transcoding just fine!

[@KEYARRRR]

Takodachis must unite with Colten

[@lukemonte1044]

3:13 INA!!!, AND GURA ON THE MONITOR LES GO!!!

[@gamnhamcodon]

lmao coltan have hololive in the background and talk about pc make me feel very represented

[@rogerioit]

This video is, at the same time, interesting, informative and fun. Thank you!

[@fuknsassy6940]

So what I got from that is you just always stream with dual pc’s, unless you have literal top of the line pc’s which let’s face it, if your pc can run what you’re playing you’re not forking out a lot of money

[@xforce6213]

Man, I want that Ina behind Colton so bad LOL

[@VeryButtery]

Very conveniently timed as I just got disappointed by buying a capture card for my high refresh rate monitor

[@douz]

“Summit doesn’t have dual pc, does he?” He’s right he doesn’t, he has triple pc.

[@javierpena2141]

For someone who still gets confused with what RAM is for I apretiate these videos lol

[@softback132]

Download ram

[@Ryuts0]

"If you're using SLOBS...uninstall SLOBS." Fucking lmao.

[@fauloo]

was that a Shark, Colton?

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

It may have been...

[@shimo8197]

Only I need is Ina's Illustration like Moustache Guy have

[@gear8792]

I love watching score videos...but having Dimitri in them just makes them better

[@kipp14]

This is useful to me as i do a lot of multitasking especially rendering in the background while streaming

[@MyNameJefff]

Nobody talking about the Ina poster. Crazy.

[@freddern3099]

you should make a cracked episode on why some pros use black bars

[@theScoreesports]

We agree :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/fWKkYmCjqZyamrc

[@Sugarist0]

1:25 WAH

[@LordMazafeff]

I see a Takodachi in the wild.

[@livingreverie5951]

Vtuber for this episode: A

[@moogiswag]

Colten is a fellow Takodachi! :D

[@_RKev]

A fellow Takodachi explaining Streaming to me is not what I expected, but I appreciate it

[@aidxchaoo]

Teaching us the ways to get closer to our priestess

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

(＾▽＾) You're very welcome.

[@ChiriConCarne]

Colten got himself an Ina poster. nice.

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

It is nice... :D

[@SeanTheOriginal]

Tell me you don't get taxed enough without telling me you don't get taxed enough. Streamers:

[@HateLag]

Gotta say I love the banter.

[@Diegobjj]

PLEASE do more content about streaming!! :D

[@parfein]

If you have an nvidia 16 or 20 series GPU (minus the 1650), then your NVENC encoder is a dedicated part of your GPU and won't take any performance away from the rest of it.

[@MinecraftPixelGames]

30 series too, although be wary that it will have a minimal impact so you may notice it with games that your GPU is already struggling to run.

[@neekossan]

1650 super encoder is already done the job for me

[@parfein]

@@neekossan 1650 super has the good encoder, regular 1650 doesnt

[@neekossan]

@@parfein yeah, that why I get the super instead

[@eagle7015]

@@neekossan yea best feature of the card

[@hamder]

That mustache *chefs finger kiss*

[@doubleone5847]

Colten repping the best holo-en girls

[@victor-oh]

7:55 Gura in the background. LETS GOO

[@jeremiahnoble6182]

Didn't expect that "Wah" in there God bless

[@VicariousxD]

I have a dual pc setup and honestly it's costly to build one. I have tried single pc, dual pc ndi and dual pc capture card setups. If you are a casual gamer who likes to stream while playing then you should stick to single PC. My Ryzen 3600+1660 super streams 1440p60 using nvenc and uses constantly around 7-8% of CPU (OBS reading) and 10% of GPU (cuda cores apart from encoder). It's actually fine for most games and I don't feel any hiccups. Setting up a dual PC using NDI is actually a lot easier than setting up capture card based dual PC. NDI has a windows and Mac app that lets you select the screen you want to capture, your webcam (if your webcam is attached to gaming pc) and your mic and desktop audio source. All these sources can be transmitted directly via NDI to your dedicated streaming PC where you can use them in OBS. It's a 10 minute setup and works well. The problem is NDI hx app itself takes up almost same amount of resources as OBS does in single PC and hence defeats the purpose unless you want to increase the quality of your streams by choosing higher level of transcoding. NDI also requires you to have a beefier CPU in your streaming PC since converting NDI back to video uses about 20% of my Ryzen 2700 streaming CPU. The ultimate dual PC setup is actually worth it if done right since you can avoid running anything other than just games on your gaming PC. Your discord, team speak, spotify, browser, etc just goes to your streaming PC. You do however need two important hardware components for doing it right. The first thing is a capture card and second but often ignored audio mixer. In my opinion, getting a physical mixer rather than using a software solution like voicemeter is absolutely worth it. If you chose components carefully, you don't even need a beefy computer as a dedicated streaming PC. A intel i3 10100-f and a 1650super is an excellent streaming PC. I would just choose a mobo with lots of USBs and 2 x16 slots for GPU and a 4k capture card. The PC should stream in 2k60 all day long.

[@Wicked9090]

Honestly would love the NDI video from Colton, sounds like a MUCH better setup than I am currently running - LGX2 receiving a down scaled image via my GPU (1440p-1080p) as a mirror, into the second PC - if it can do audio also, well even better, although VM-B is doing fine tbh

[@SamfisherSam]

NDI does have some CPU overhead as well, it's not free performance but compared to encoding everything on a single PC it's gonna be miniscule. A capture card receives raw output from the GPU with no overhead on the gaming PC.

[@Wicked9090]

The small CPU load is fine, it would likely be actually a net positive for me taking load off my GPU with the capture card output and scaling resolution anyway. Seeing as capture cards do use GPU overheads by creating that output - hence the performance difference between single and multi screen setups, not heaps, but it's there - neither will hurt me seeing as I have 3090 and Ryzen 9 5950x, but I have the downscaling via the capture card - also hoping NDI will give more customising options? 😬

[@MooncakePuff]

@@SamfisherSam what about the stress on the network? Wouldn’t you need to have atleast 2Gb upload to have it be stable?

[@VicariousxD]

@@MooncakePuff 1080p60 caps out at around 100-200mbps. If you do have a 1gbps switch, you should be fine.

[@QuintenMusic]

Meanwhile xqc being one of if not the biggest streamer on twitch running a 1 pc setup

[@bronzetopredatorinanhour2562]

That is normally, I'm not a streamer, but I have had 3 gaming pc’s because GPU and CPU have to upgrade to play new games smoothly.

[@aboooowo]

"you just make lineups" lmao

[@CensoredMercy]

Most people want to encode using the GPU not the CPU because it is way more efficient. I used to have a terrible 2004 CPU when i streamed with a decent graphics card but it worked out since the GPU could barely handle the load while my CPU just did what it could for the general PC, which is what lower-end users want. SInce then Ive gotten a beast PC, and I still use GPU encoding.

[@halfblue2678]

nice calli clip editor-kun

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

I thought so too >.

[@tftfxrwrd435]

Coltens mustache is sinply 🔥

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

I agree ;)

[@thedoctord]

8:47 wtf 😂

[@bigfatdane]

My main concern about going dual PC would be needing a second keyboard and mouse to use to streaming pc, just seems very annoying compared to the mouse just sliding from one screen to another

[@TheGhoul-fg2bi]

There's software to allow using one mouse/kb on dual PCs

[@VicariousxD]

You can use a single mouse but meh, I would just buy one of those bluetooth keyboard with attached trackpad, which usually goes really cheap from logitech.

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

I actually use an unbelievably handy piece of software called "Synergy" that lets me control all my PCs (three in total) with one mouse and keyboard (as long as my main PC is turned on).

[@b3n751]

NDI absolutely tanks my ping. I have a 500mb up/down connection. From 30ping on valorant to 200 with packet loss, with poor stream quality. NDI is no solution. Capture cards are 60$. Invest in one. And its very easy to setup. It only gets complicated when you add things like stream decks, amplifyers and soundboards.

[@SamfisherSam]

It will definitely cause connection issues if somewhere in the chain the connection is bottlenecked. What's probably happening is you're sending a very high bitrate encode over to the 2nd pc through NDI, maxing out your ethernet or switch capacity, thus dropping packets causing lag. You can check if both gaming and encode PC are at least gigabit capable, as is the switch that connects them both. Might be time for 2.5g NICs.

[@b3n751]

@@SamfisherSam nope. No network bottle neck. NDI is just trash. I have 2 internet connections. ROUTER1 10gig network switch - 500MB - goes straight from the wall to router, to my PC. Wifi disabled. This connection is purely for my computers. My 2nd connection (different ISP company/router supplies internet to my TVs, security cameras and any other wifi devices in the house. I have absolutely zero bottle neck to my PC. Infact all my gear is worth 10x more than what my connection puts out. Unpartnered bit rate is 6000. Even a bit rate of 1000 will juice the connection. Some of this can be blamed on my geographical position . But still.

[@DaWrecka]

Hmm. I recently bought an ex-rack server... I bought it mainly as a file server, and it's massively overpowered for that purpose - it's got 32GB of RAM, and two Xeon X5650 CPUs; that is, a total of 12 cores, 24 threads, running at 2.67GHz base. It was surprisingly cheap; Including the shipping - which was expensive because this is a big, heavy bastard - it only cost me about £85. It has no GPU so NVENC isn't an option, but could that be enough CPU grunt to handle transcoding a 60fps stream? And if I got a Quadro video card - a regular Geforce is no good because it has no PCIe 16x slots, only 4x - maybe NVENC would become an option...

[@thishdude]

The guy who ACTUALLY knows what he's talking about gets me every time 😂

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

Because I GOTCHU HOMIE!!

[@marcybnzz1545]

Lmao 3:12 I see this guy fell into the rabbit hole

[@tunnfisch7548]

how has none of these streamers with a dual pc setup never heard of Barrier? No two keyboards and mice and shared clipboard.

[@TORVEX_]

i feel the score esports should make like a complete tutorial and cost for 2 pc streaming

[@yayatipanchal5503]

Single pc streaming deep dive required please🥺❤️

[@suvneetsingh1044]

Do the streaming tutorial/settings

[@akshatsingh8817]

Nice saber mouse pad I never noticed before 😂.

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

Thanks. It's sad I'm going to have to replace it soon in my main setup but I'm definitely keeping it around for filming.

[@hoshiooo9384]

Running with the wind 👀

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

AYY! There's a keen eye. Nice catch, one of my favorite shows.

[@diorynovis]

A streamer added in the Hollywood Walk of Fame

[@Zoeweeecuenca]

very nice stash

[@bruno3833]

where do you read chat? if on 1 pc then you must have dual monitors. How monitors act when you go fullscrren with game? if you have 2 pcs then you can do it on second

[@Sir_BanDr]

still confused how to set it, even i already read and watch some tutorial at google

[@patwrona6495]

Now the question is do you need a good internet? For instance better upload speed or download speed?

[@adeliodwi9261]

INA IS THAT YOU??

[@kocokan]

I see fellow man of culture

[@alexandrumaftei9740]

Dimitri what is your twitch channel?

[@TheHighborn]

eh? To not loose fps? Some CPU good for high fps, some for HQ streaming. It's not that difficult

[@dirtmesumshii1092]

Dual PC streaaaaaaming

[@braeden8506]

Colton could be anywhere from 20-50

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

Accurate... ;)

[@punitkataria8626]

shroud ''you only make lineups'' KEKW

[@aconnorz]

That’s wild

[@emonkhan1443]

instead of two pc setup, what if u went with a PC and a laptop setup? like u buy a used gaming laptop or new for ur transcoding and u will also have a powerful portable device

[@emonkhan1443]

@@pdrseverance its just transcoding and right now you can actually save money in laptop, and laptops in above 500 USD range usually have ryzen 5 or 7 so it should be more than enough. however the most important thing is, u also have a portable device in this way

[@LZRWOLF]

oh my god I just witnessed Jonas get roasted by Shroud twice in one day 💀

[@AmongUs-gu7fn]

actually Cat6 cables have the same speed limit as cat5e... its both 1Gb/s

[@YukariMizura]

Colten just know what's he talking about, especially vtubers. Maybe.

[@thebluecollarkid1831]

I need only one of those sick PC once! Now.... I want 3 of them!

[@atharvtyagi3435]

And for those who play console exclusive games have only one pc? Btw can anybody give me the link to Dimitri and contend twitch channel

[@Karbust]

Colton, what about games in 4:3 stretched, like Csgo? When I tried NDI with that I got some weird artifacts on the area not used by the game. Any idea on how to fix that?

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

CSGO is a bit of a unicorn to stream. The game really doesn't like OBS at all. Unfortunately I don't stream it so I'm not super helpful with ideas. The OBS Discord/forums would be a good place to look for help though.

[@ahbabraufahmed3058]

@@TheOnlyZoltan ah you can try putting "-allow_third_party_software" in csgo launch option

[@Karbust]

@@ahbabraufahmed3058 That only works with OBS game capture. With NDI I capture the entire screen.

[@Karbust]

@@TheOnlyZoltan Thank you anyway, I'll have to search more.

[@radddish]

my man Chris living in a mansion worrying about pc costs he's so humble Kappa

[@truthbuckers6600]

while yes maybe fps is some peoples concern but my or maybe majority of us have concerns on internet lmfao

[@PrivateJoker0119]

if you had to have that many PCs, I would just buy a server at that point. Not sure if GPUs are compatible with those tho

[@SamfisherSam]

A server is just a type of computer anyway. Wouldn't really make sense to buy a rack mounted server and having to deal with size constraints and needing a rack to actually mount it. Simple secondary tower works fine tucked away somewhere and way way quieter.

[@Somtric]

Uha uha... what makes me stick to a single-pc setup is something called... "money", might be a weird term for most, but it does hold me back from going to a Dual-PC setup for making my streams & videos, also since, despite being one of the best variety gamers in the world, even much better than Shroud and the likes, I still can't get viewers, because my stream & videos drown in the ocean of content. So that's that.

[@jinxedplays6552]

Yeah... I watched your streams, and no you are far from one of the best variety streamers, and are not better than shroud. Its cool to have goals but being cocky is not the same

[@Somtric]

@Kshitiz Pokhrel You need to learn how to read.

[@Somtric]

@@jinxedplays6552 No, you did not. Have not streamed for a long time :) lying doens't help. And yes, I'm WAY better than shroud, and not only that, I am that with only 0.5% of the playtime pro players & streamers put in it; in any & all games :) being mad fanboys doesn't change reality kids.

[@jinxedplays6552]

@@Somtric Your latest video on your channel is literally a stream lmao. Wake up, it's pathetic to see people think they are so high and mighty

[@Somtric]

@@jinxedplays6552 Yep, from yesterday, before that, nothing :) nt though. And I don't think, I know kid. Best of luck to you, you can't hurt me, try harder.

[@adidasadilettecomfort4640]

I got r7 5800x and a 3070, is it enough for single streaming setup?,

[@rhealize]

depends on what games youre about to stream? some game is light enough..some are quite heavy and use of both your cpu and gpu so it cant hinder your stream performance

[@raphaelcheng2254]

Takodachis assemble

[@KEYARRRR]

Assemble for cookies

[@TheOnlyZoltan]

w a h

[@n00fany]

isn't there ping issues while using NDI?

[@natakavatakashi6583]

When will Prod vid come out?

[@PinkSoddiePop]

thank you for reminding me to uninstall SLOBS! completely forgot to do that. also nice video

[@faran4536]

Watching this video from my old PC 😎

[@user-yv3sg7gm5l]

are we not gonna talk about the gura and ina in the background?

[@justiceo1791]

Can’t you just use an old laptop or cheap mini pc to transcode?

[@cliffdraco1771]

Yay, eSports content!

[@xemon5811]

Me who chilling with 60fps loptop 😎 😂

[@RollyTV]

one thing no one ever considers when doing these videos are the bottlenecks of NDI and capture cards. some capture cards only allow you to stream 60hz..... there are pro version that allow more but on 1080 not on 1440.

[@SamfisherSam]

You're bitrate limited on streaming platforms. As it is, 1080p/60fps at 6000KBps (Twitch limit) is barely enough for a clean image with no macro blocking, going higher FPS would drastically lower your stream quality. Twitch doesn't even support above 60fps streams anyway.